The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-12-03
MEMPHIS DAILY APPEAL: SATURDAY DECEMBER g. 1887.

argument or proposition OF policy. Whether
these were on the whole an improvement
depends perhaps upon the taste OF the reader
and critic, whether he prefers full and
formal or direct and sententious diction:
The literary styles Of Mr.. Seward and
Mr.. Lincoln differed essentially. Mr..
Seward was strongly addicted to and
unusually felicitous in long, sonorous
sentences, simplifying his thought to general
application and to philosophic breadth. Mr..
Lincoln liked TO condense his idea into a
short sentence, with legal conciseness and
specific point In the present crisis Mr..
Stewards policy, as announced in his 10Th
OF January speech, was TO meet prejudice
with Cancellation, exaction with concession
which surrenders no principle, and violence
with the right hand OF peace Mr.. Lincoln's
policy was, without prejudice or passion to
state frankly and maintain firmly the posi-
ton and doctrines assumed by the American
people in the late presidential election. Mr..
Mr.. Seward believed himself to be the past
and the coming peace-maker and thus his
whole effort was to soften, 20 postpone, 10
use diplomacy His corrections of the inau-
gural were in this view: more careful quail.
iication of statement, q greater ambiguity OF
phrase gain in smOothness, but loss in
breyity and force. Mr.. Lincoln adopted
| either In whole or In part nearly oil the
amendments proposed by Mr.. Seward. But
those which he himself modified, and
such further alterations as he
added OF his own account, show that
whatever the inaugural gained in form and
| style in these final touches came as much
| through his own power of literary criticism
as from the more practced pen of Mr. Sew
ard. The most vital change in the docu
ment was in adopting a suggestion of his
friend Browning, not TO announce q purpose
to recapture Sumter and other forts anC
| places seized by the rebels, but, for the pres
ent, to declare only that he would hole
those yet in possession of the government
One other somewhat important change Mr.
Lincoln himself made. In the origina
draft any idea of an amendment OF the con
stitution was rather repelled than invited
In the revision Mr.. Lincoln said he should
favor rather than oppose fair opportunity
being afforded the people TO act upon II,
and further expressed his willingness to nc
cept the amendment recently proposed b!
Congress. All these various alterations, pro
posed or adopted, are added as notes to tn
text Of the inaugural In this chapter, wher
the critical student will compare them will
special interest. II was In the closing par
agraph of the inaugural that Mr.. Lincoln
mastery in the literary art clearly REVEALED
itself. Mr.. Seward, as we have seen in tn
postscrip Of his letter, thought that som
words OF afection-some OF calm and cheer
full confidence to meet and remove preju
dice and passion in the south, and despond
cncy and fear in the east, ought 10 b
added. In the original draft the concludin
sentence, addressing itself TO my dissatisiie
fellow countrymen,' was: With you an
not with me is the solemn question, shall
be peace or sword This ending Nj
Seward proposed 10 strike out, and sui
mttcd two drafts Of n closing paragraph
take its place One Of them was long an
commonplace; under tho other lurked fin
poetic thought awkwardly expressed. Thi
Mr.. Lincoln took, but his more artistic sens
transformed IL into an illustration Of perfeC